To make the best career decision, it is important to identify the fields and occupations projected to have the most rapid growth, for example: desktop publishers and database administrators, medical records and health information technicians, special education teachers, library technicians, and registered nurses.  Look at the occupations in which women are being offered the most lucrative starting salaries: investment banking, all types of engineering, and network administration.  For those without advanced degrees, look to the construction trades and manufacturing, including driving a fork lift—jobs that pay 3 or 4 times more than an entry-level office job.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s research suggests that people will have 3 to 8 different careers and up to 25 different jobs in their work lifetime. 75% of the jobs that exist now did not exist 10 years ago.Far from being stuck in a career, most of us make the decision to change jobs over and over during our work life.

Jobs with most rapid growth:

Desktop publishers

Database administrators

Health and Medical Infomatics technicians

Special education teachers

Speech therapists

Library technicians

Registered nurses

Medical technologists

Most lucrative starting salaries for women:

Investment banker

Engineer

Network administrator